Breaking news: West Sussex teachers strike over pay and pensions

SCHOOLS across the Observer area will be affected as teachers go on strike over pay, pensions, workload and job cuts today (March 26).

Mark Sandell, teacher and West Sussex NUT communications officer, said: ““Teachers have been pushed into strike action in defence of education. Pay freezes and big increases in pension contributions have left us nearly 20 per cent worse off.”

Fishbourne C of E Primary School and Parklands Community Primary School will be closed for the day.

St Richard’s Catholic Primary School in Chichester is partially closed. Only Oak Class, and years 2, 3 and 6 are set to attend school.

Portfield Primary Academy in Chichester will be partly closed.

St Anthony’s School in Chichester will also be partially closed, year group 7, 8 and 9 will be closed. Primary and Key stage four will be open as normal.

Chichester High School for Boys will be closed.

Chichester High School for Girls will be open as usual.

Tangmere Academy will be open as usual.

Seal Primary Academy and the Academy Selsey will be partly open.

Bourne Community College in Southbourne will be partly open, with years 7, 8 and 11 only. Students in years 9 and 10 will need to remain at home.

Slindon Primary School will be partially closed. Catkin calls will be closed all day. Chesnut class will be closed until 12 noon.

Aldingbourne Primary School is closed.

The Regis School will be closed to students in Years 8 and 9. With planned HPV vaccines for Year 8 pupils now due to take place on May 2.

Students in Years 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13 should attend school as usual for their lessons.

Felpham Community College will be closed to all students in Years 8 and 10. The school will be open for Year 7, 11 and 6th form students who will follow a timetable of normal lessons and supervised private study.

Ormiston Six Village Academy is partially closed. Years 7 to 9 will be closed, but the school is open to years 10 and 11.

Plaistow and Kirdford Primary School is partly closed. Year 1 is the only part of the school closed in the morning. All back to normal for the afternoon.

Wisborough Green Primary School is closed all day.

Billingshurst Primary School is partially closed. Only year 2 - 2L Greece class and year 4 - 4D Chile class will be closed.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union said:

“Teachers deeply regret the disruption caused by this strike action to parents and teachers. The Government’s refusal, however, to engage to resolve the dispute means that we have no alternative other than to demonstrate the seriousness of our concerns.

“Teachers’ levels of workload are intolerable –the Government’s own survey, published last month, shows that primary school teachers work nearly 60 hours a week and secondary school teachers work nearly 56 hours a week. Two in five teachers are leaving the profession in the first five years of teaching as are many others. This is bad for children and bad for education.”

Have you been affected by the strikes? Or are you a teacher walking out over pay and pensions?